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Eye on Escondido

Escondido city hall was packed with onlookers on Wednesday, February 11, as Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler gave her annual state of the city address. She said Escondido's revenue continues to decline and there's uncertainty about how far it will diminish before leveling out. She said she expects the federal government's stimulus plan to provide jobs and that having people feel confident about their jobs is key to getting the economy moving again.

Historically, Escondido has relied on sales-tax revenue to fund city services. With the closing of three local businesses, the city's budget is down over $500,000. Since 2005, the city's sales tax has declined by 30 percent.

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In Wednesday's speech, the mayor referred to the emergency budget cuts announced during the meeting of January 14: a 5 percent pay reduction for 222 employees, a decrease in library hours (closure every other Friday), and significant cuts to Escondido police and fire departments. In her 16 years on the council, Pfeiler said the cuts were the most difficult decisions she's had to make. She said she wished it wasn't necessary to close city hall and the main library every other Friday.

The mayor addressed the city's water shortage. Sixty million gallons of water is used in Escondido daily. Pfeiler noted that we live in a desert and can no longer landscape the way we have been. She said it takes 48 inches of rain to take care of our lawns and that California is lucky to get 16 inches.

The mayor expressed her excitement about Escondido's participation in the 2009 Amgen Tour, the largest cycling event in America. It will finish on Grand Avenue and Broadway on Sunday, February 22. Twenty-thousand onlookers are expected to attend. No taxpayer dollars were used to fund the event.

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Escondido city hall was packed with onlookers on Wednesday, February 11, as Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler gave her annual state of the city address. She said Escondido's revenue continues to decline and there's uncertainty about how far it will diminish before leveling out. She said she expects the federal government's stimulus plan to provide jobs and that having people feel confident about their jobs is key to getting the economy moving again.

Historically, Escondido has relied on sales-tax revenue to fund city services. With the closing of three local businesses, the city's budget is down over $500,000. Since 2005, the city's sales tax has declined by 30 percent.

Sponsored
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In Wednesday's speech, the mayor referred to the emergency budget cuts announced during the meeting of January 14: a 5 percent pay reduction for 222 employees, a decrease in library hours (closure every other Friday), and significant cuts to Escondido police and fire departments. In her 16 years on the council, Pfeiler said the cuts were the most difficult decisions she's had to make. She said she wished it wasn't necessary to close city hall and the main library every other Friday.

The mayor addressed the city's water shortage. Sixty million gallons of water is used in Escondido daily. Pfeiler noted that we live in a desert and can no longer landscape the way we have been. She said it takes 48 inches of rain to take care of our lawns and that California is lucky to get 16 inches.

The mayor expressed her excitement about Escondido's participation in the 2009 Amgen Tour, the largest cycling event in America. It will finish on Grand Avenue and Broadway on Sunday, February 22. Twenty-thousand onlookers are expected to attend. No taxpayer dollars were used to fund the event.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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